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APULIAN ITINERARIES BETWEEN WINERIES AND CULTURE – THE MURGIA

08.08.2015

Let’s continue our journey through the sights and good flavours of Puglia. In the last stage we drove across the area North of Bari, now is the turn of the Murgia, the most central part of the region, one of the few hills in a land dominated by plains. Today’s route starts from Castel del Monte, where our previous trip had ended and heads to Gioia del Colle.

This land is home to Primitivo grapes, thanks to the work of selection that took place in late 18th century by Don Filippo Francesco Indellicati. Apulian Primitivo is born in these hills and then it has become famous under the name of Primitivo di Manduria, thanks to the excellent job of many producers from Manduria. The fame of this early ripening variety has gone beyond the borders of Puglia, Californian Zinfandel in fact, is nothing but Primitivo, probably brought overseas by Italian emigrants.

We have the pleasure of tasting two of the most representative producers of the area, identified through their belonging to the Puglia Best Wine consortium, Cantine Polvanera and Tenuta Chiaromonte. A visit to their cellars is a must-do during a trip to the Murgia, in order to taste their Primitivo.

We cannot leave Gioia del colle without buying a huge load of mozzarella, of which the town is one of the main producers in Apulia. Now we must visit a UNESCO heritage site, the famous Alberobello, undisputed queen of the trulli. In the narrow streets filled with the typical cone-shaped houses, we fall in love once again with this land. Maybe Puglia deserves more than a vacation, it is worth our life. With this sweet thought in our mind, we head towards the last stop on today’s itinerary, the Caves of Castellana where we can refresh ourselves several meters underground and discover the hidden wonders of the heel of Italy.